EDMONTON - People from all over the world will soon be enjoying another sport hunting season in Alberta. The province is well known for its wide range of wildlife, found in extremely varied terrain.

Hunting licence sales begin August 1 at Alberta's licence retailers. Some bow hunting seasons begin in August, and many other seasons start in September. More than 100,000 hunters enjoy Alberta's diverse wildlife resource each year.

"Alberta is pleased to welcome hunters from near and far and I urge them to hunt safely and responsibly," said Mike Cardinal, Minister of Sustainable Resource Development. "Our government carefully manages wildlife to make sure we'll continue to have ample populations."

The 2003 Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations will be ready for pick-up on August 1 to coincide with licence sales. The free guide provides information about hunting seasons, wildlife identification and game tagging. It also contains a colour map of all provincial wildlife management units (WMUs).

The guide outlines changes to regulations that provide additional opportunities for hunters. For example, there are an increased number of WMUs that offer supplemental white-tailed deer licences - to address large deer populations in some locations and reduce animal-vehicle accidents. The length of the season for antlerless deer was also extended in other areas.

Copies of the guide will be available at Fish and Wildlife Division offices of Alberta Sustainable Resource Development throughout the province, and at Alberta's 465 licence retailers.

An online version of the 2003 Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations will be accessible through the department's "Hunting in Alberta" Web site, http://www3.gov.ab.ca/srd/fw/hunting. For information about locating private licence issuers in the province, visit: http://www3.gov.ab.ca/srd/fw/licencesys/issuers.html.

Contact:

John Lear
Public Affairs Officer
Communications
Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
(780) 427-8636

Bruce Treichel
Wildlife Information Specialist
Fish and Wildlife Division
Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
(780) 422-9534